One Health & Risk Management

Strengthening Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Control Through a One Health Approach

Jan DROBENIUC — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:38:00 +0000

Viral hepatitis remains a major global health challenge. The WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2024 estimates that 254 million people are living with hepatitis B, and 50 million people have hepatitis C worldwide. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are deadly communicable diseases, with 2.2 million new infections recorded in 2022.

Global prevalence of hepatitis A, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E varies by region and risk factors. Hepatitis A and hepatitis E are transmitted through contaminated food and water, while hepatitis D occurs only in individuals already infected with hepatitis B or newly infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis D concurrently. The zoonotic nature of hepatitis E has been observed in industrialized and middle-income countries, and the One Health approach, recognizing the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health, provides a valuable framework for tackling this infection.

Laboratory diagnostics play a central role in early detection, prevention, control, and elimination through timely vaccination and treatment. Leveraging One Health infrastructure catalyzes the laboratory potential. New serodiagnostic platforms and Point-of-Care (POC) testing facilitate more efficient decentralized screening, enhancing public health efforts in prevention, control, and elimination. Advanced molecular characterization and surveillance improve viral identification and resistance profiling.

The One Health and Risk Management framework fosters informed decision-making through multidisciplinary research, case studies, and surveillance strategies.

I commend the editorial team and contributors, and urge continued collaboration between laboratories, academia, clinicians, and public health authorities. Only through joint, evidence-based efforts can we advance the fight against viral hepatitis.

Long COVID: challenges and complications – a systematic review

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction. Long COVID, a condition that follows the acute phase of COVID-19, presents diverse clinical, psychological, and socioeconomic challenges, with complications such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, musculoskeletal issues, and mental health conditions. Despite its impact, the burden of long COVID symptoms on public health remains underexplored. This systematic review synthesizes current evidence on the complications and challenges of long COVID to inform healthcare providers and policymakers.
Material and methods. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Scopus databases for studies published between January 2020 and August 2024. Articles were selected based on inclusion criteria, including both qualitative and quantitative studies. The review adhered to PRISMA guidelines, and the risk of bias was assessed using the NIHR risk-of-bias tool.
Results. A total of 23 studies from 17 countries were included. Findings presented a multifaceted burden, with physical symptoms such as fatigue (5.5%–84.4%), brain fog (67%), headaches (5%–76.6%) and sleep disturbances (22%–60.9%). Psychological impacts were also prominent, with anxiety and depression frequently reported. Socioeconomic consequences were substantial, with up to 42.3% of individuals unable to return to work.
Conclusions. Long COVID poses significant challenges to individuals and public health systems. Despite emerging insights, there are substantial gaps in understanding and managing long COVID, underscoring the need for further research and comprehensive healthcare strategies.

Entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems in the patient experience: a review of the African context

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 13:07:38 +0000

Introduction. In the current healthcare context in Africa, numerous challenges remain to be addressed, including limited access to services, disparities in the quality of care, and inequalities in health outcomes. Furthermore, the lack of innovative business models capable of responding to the diverse and evolving needs of patients represents a major obstacle. This situation highlights the need to further integrate the patient’s experience into the design of healthcare services, which could transform traditional business models by incorporating a human-centered and experiential dimension.
Material and methods. A systematic review of the existing literature was conducted to identify and synthesize the main contributions in this field.
Results. We examined the fundamental principles of a business model that emphasizes patient experience, particularly in the healthcare sector in Africa. We also explored the factors influencing the economic functioning of these experience-based healthcare services. In addition, we analyzed the different ways in which these services are organized and marketed. Finally, we assessed how key performance indicators relate to various components of the experience-driven business model in healthcare.
Conclusions. A theoretical framework will be developed to clarify the experiential business model and its implications for healthcare stakeholders, particularly regarding its design, promotion, and implementation.

Areas of continuing education for pharmacists on the care of high-risk patients

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 13:22:22 +0000

Introduction. The presence of qualified pharmacists in community pharmacies ensures that high-risk patient groups receive safe and effective pharmaceutical care when using pharmacy services.
Material and methods. This study employed a descriptive methodology. The research tool is a questionnaire, which includes 16 questions that describe to respondents’ characteristics and assess respondents’ attitudes toward continuous training in specialized fields. The number of respondents was 406. Data processing were performed using Excel software.
Results. The majority of respondents (64,06%, CI95: 59,37-68,7) believe that there is a frequent need for improving knowledge in the field of geriatrics, and 82.86% (CI95: 79,53-85,99) of respondents fully agree that the community pharmacists should be well-informed in pediatrics. Pharmacists are aware of the responsibility they bear towards these categories of patients in community pharmacies and believe it is beneficial (63,01%, CI95: 58,35-67,74) for them to periodically update their knowledge in specialized pharmaceutical care, covering a variety of topics.
Conclusions. Pharmacists’ views emphasized the importance of enhancing their professional training in delivering specialized pharmaceutical services. These findings support the development and implementation of the course “Specialized Pharmaceutical Assistance for High-Risk Patients” within pharmacists’ continuing education programs.

Clinical and laboratory predictors of therapeutic response to Tocilizumab in rheumatoid arthritis

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:05:32 +0000

Introduction. Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs), such as tocilizumab (TCZ), are essential for reducing disease activity in moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aims to identify clinical and laboratory predictors of a favorable response to TCZ, enabling personalized therapeutic strategies.
Material and methods. A longitudinal clinical study in dependent samples included 133 bio-naïve patients (121 women, 12 men, mean age 49.87±13.31 years) with seropositive RA (radiological stages I-III) treated with TCZ and csDMARDs at the Timofei Moșneaga Republican Clinical Hospital. Clinical and laboratory parameters were monitored monthly over a six-month period. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman’s correlation and multiple regression. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied to compare parameters before and after TCZ treatment.
Results. Favorable response predictors included swollen joint counts (ρ=0.59, p<0.01), tender joint counts (ρ=0.40, p<0.01), C-reactive protein (ρ=0.46, p<0.01), ESR (ρ=0.25, p<0.01), platelet count (ρ=0.29, p<0.01), hemoglobin (ρ=-0.26, p<0.01), hematocrit (ρ=-0.23, p<0.01), and age (ρ=-0.49, p<0.01). Regression analysis confirmed the influence of swollen joint counts (ρ=0.30, p<0.001), age (ρ=-0.30, p<0.001), and C-reactive protein (ρ=0.18, p=0.016) on DAS28 reduction.
Conclusions. Swollen and tender joint counts, C-reactive protein, and age are key independent predictors of therapeutic success with TCZ after six months of treatment.

Synthesis, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and antioxidant assay of some N4 –substituted thiosemicarbazones of cinnamaldehyde

Andrei CIURSIN, Roman RUSNAC, Aurelian GULEA — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 14:23:23 +0000

Introduction. The increasing number of cancer diagnoses is a pressing issue in modern medicine. One contributing factor to cancer development is oxidative stress caused by free radicals, which can damage proteins, lipids, and DNA. Antioxidants are commonly used to mitigate these effects by neutralizing free radicals and reducing their harmful impact. Recent studies have shown that thiosemicarbazones may have antioxidant properties. These compounds are also known for their potential as anticancer, antibiotic, and antifungal agents. In this research, a series of thiosemicarbazones were synthesized and their antioxidant capacity was evaluated. Additionally, the ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion) parameters of the synthesized compounds were evaluated to determine their potential as pharmaceutical candidates.
Material and methods. All starting reagents were purchased from Sigma Aldrich or Alfa Aesar. The synthesis of the compounds was carried out using classical methods, adopted for this study. ADME analysis was performed using ADMETLabs 3.0 platform. Antioxidative properties were investigated using the standard assay method.
Results. Five thiosemicarbazones were synthesized. The presence of characteristic functional groups was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Synthesized compounds have a good ADME profile, characteristic of biologically active compounds. It was found that compounds 1 and 5 exhibit antioxidative activity in 6 times and 3 times higher than Trolox.
Conclusions. Obtaining new thiosemicarbazones based on cinnamaldehyde with the study of antioxidant properties and ADME screening would allow in the future that these products can be tested in the clinical and preclinical stages with rigorous evaluations. The synthesized products represent an increased antioxidant potential for the biopharmaceutical field.